Mount Dora City Council approves AMCO Development rezoning

ABOVE: A portion of the Amco Development's revised plan presented to Mount Dora City Council on February 5, 2024. Due to the site's topography, some of the actual building heights could be approximately 40 feet taller or more than indicated on AMCO's conceptual rendering above.

After tabling the issue for two weeks, on June 18 Mount Dora City Council voted (5-2) to approve zoning for a controversial 38-acre, mixed-use development that would change the landscape of the eastern section of the city.  Council Members Cal Rolfson, Marc Crail, Doug Bryant and Mayor Crissy Stile voted in favor of the re-zoning, while Council Members Nate Walker and John Cataldo voted against it.

The AMCO Development proposal features high-density housing, as well as office and commercial space, senior living and other uses. At least eight mid-rise buildings would exceed the original zoning’s 100-foot height limit, and include two buildings that would be 175 feet tall when measured from State Road 46 or over 200 feet when measured from the bases of the buildings due to the sloped topography of the property. (see attached conceptual site plan below).

During the discussions at the June 4th City Council meeting, City Attorney Patrick Brackins raised the issue of potentially costly legal fees the City could incur if the project was declined and the developer filed a lawsuit.  At the June 18th meeting, Brackins stated the City will be revising its Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code to prevent this particular development situation from occurring again.

The City of Mount Dora will service the AMCO Development with water and sewer utilities if capacity is available at the time the formal site plan is submitted for the project and each subsequent phase thereafter. At the current concept plan stage, the City’s staff has stated it does not have capacity for waste water to service the development. 

The next phases of the project would be platting and then submitting the site plan, which includes traffic studies and other engineering reports for geotechnics, environmental, drainage, storm water and tree mitigation, in addition to determination of utility capacity.

RELATED:  Mount Dora City Council decline AMCO Development settlement agreement

RELATED:  AMCO files legal action against City of Mount Dora

Eight of the 10 proposed buildings in the AMCO Development project would exceed the area’s 100-foot maximum building height.  The heights of those buildings are as follows: 

• Two buildings with maximum heights of 175 feet measured from S.R. 46  (B & C on site plan).
• One building with a maximum height of 165 feet measured from S.R. 46 (D on site plan).
• Two buildings with maximum heights of 150 feet measured from S.R. 46  (A on the site plan and the remaining portion of the property on site plan).
• The proposed hotel building maximum building height of 138 feet measured from S.R. 46.
• The proposed senior living building maximum height of 125 feet measured from S.R. 46.
• The proposed multi-story indoor self-storage is 100 feet maximum height measured from S.R. 46. However, measured from grade, it could exceed that by approximately 40 feet.​

The AMCO Development project originally came before Mount Dora City Council in February, 2023, with a proposed building height of 310 feet, but the City Council voted down that proposal.

After a proposed settlement between the City and the developer was voted down by a 4-3 vote of the City Council, a Special Magistrate recently recommended the City allow the 175-foot building height measured from S.R. 46.  Last night the council voted (6-1, Walker dissented) to approve a slightly modified settlement agreement with the developer which paved the way for the City Council to vote on the rezoning to allow the project. 

The AMCO project will be built in three-phases and would have a maximum of:

• 865 apartments
• 665 condominiums
• 275 senior living units
• 900,000 square feet of office space
• 950,000 square feet of commercial space
• 100,000 square feet of convention center space
• 150,000 square feet of mini-storage warehouse
• 352 hotel rooms with up to two hotels
• 2 retention ponds
• 1 food hall
• 1 playground area

RELATED:  11 things to know about Mount Dora's proposed AMCO Development

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